Roy Dabner/EPAVince Carter hits 3-pointers at a 39.5 percent clip -- well above the league average of 35.6.

Ask Lawrence Frank his philosophy on the 3-point shot, and his rejoinder is immediate and cheerful: "If they go in, we love them," the Nets coach says.

A check of the numbers suggests that there is a lot of love around his team nowadays.

And if the Nets continue to improve in this aspect of the game as steadily as they have improved in others, it will inspire nothing but hate from their opponents, as the 3-pointer becomes a more critical part of their arsenal with each passing week.

"If it's a strength, you use it," said third guard Keyon Dooling, who is fourth on the team at 43.2 percent from downtown -- which is good enough for 26th in the league.

"It's become more of our identity: We've got five guys in the 40-percent range, which is a great weapon, and it's all predicated on Devin (Harris) and Vince (Carter) getting into the paint and making defenses collapse. We're all just living off that."

Right now, the living is easy. Through 19 games, the Nets have attempted 20.37 per game and make 7.84 of them on average, which means they convert them at 38.5-percent rate.

All three figures rank sixth among the NBA's 30 teams.

"We're taking advantage of what's there, and moving the ball," said Carter, who hits 3s at a 39.5 clip -- well above the league average (35.6). "You have to give up something, and right now they have to pick their poison."

The last two games may signal a sea change, however -- one dictated by the opposition's tendency to crowd the lane against Carter and Harris.

Or, the resulting accuracy they demonstrated against the Sixers and Timberwolves this past weekend -- when they hit 25 of their 54 attempts, or an extraordinary 46.3 percent -- may be a sign that they are ready to explode, because nights such as those are no longer unusual.

To wit: There was an 11-for-19 game against the Clippers, a 12-for-18 party at Atlanta, and a 13-for-25 clinic in Miami.

Put it another way: The Nets started the year in a teamwide search for their long-range strokes, as they converted 30 percent from downtown in their first five games. In their 14 games since, they have knocked down 41 percent, which would be good enough to lead the NBA.

This is their game now, and it's a fun game to play.

"I think we knew this was going to happen when they brought in shooting big guys like Yi (Jianlian) and myself," said rookie Ryan Anderson (43.6). "It's the way the league is going, using forwards to spread the court, and with Devin and Vince demanding so much attention, it's just so hard for teams to guard us. Sometimes you see teams sink off Bobby (Simmons), it's like they're not even guarding him."

"The more we hit, the easier it becomes for me," Harris said. "They'd much rather give up the 2 than the 3, which helps out my department."

Patterns? There are none, really. The Nets are fairly consistent at home (38.0) and on the road (38.9). Their accuracy in victories (42.8) and losses (32.7) are also predictable.

There is an odd fluctuation with individuals, however.

For example, Anderson and Simmons convert 53 percent at home, and 37 percent on the road. Carter is just the opposite: He's a 31-percenter at home, but he hits 45 percent on the road. And Yi and Anderson are the barometers, hitting 49 percent in victories, and 34 and 32 percent, respectively, in defeats.

The outlier may be Dooling, who is not only better on the road (45.0) than at home (41.2), he is also as clutch as they come: His multiple 3s in the endgame at Sacramento and Philadelphia delivered huge road victories.

But regardless of the trends, Frank will encourage them to keep their toes behind the arc, especially while they're in the corners, where NBA players typically hit a higher percentage (41) than they do from the top (36) or wings (34), according to the coach.

"Our approach is built around having guys who make the corner 3," Frank said. "But we want to make sure we don't lose our ability to get to the rim. That's how we're built: The best shot is a free throw, the next best is a layup. And the third-best shot is a corner 3. That's how we prioritize."

NOTES

Josh Boone (bruised right ankle) said he'll play Wednesday against the Knicks.

Simmons flew home to Chicago to attend to a personal matter. The team doesn't know when he'll return.